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Cancer can't keep DeLand woman from marathons

Linda Ryan, center, is surrounded by her supportive circle of friends, known as the “Livin' the Dream Team,” from left: Kim Winters, Kim Martin, Barbara Underhill and Kathy Guyer. Her team dreamed up “Me Strong,” a 5K race to raise money for cancer research and for families coping with cancer, as well as to inspire others to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

- Twelve thousand women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of women diagnosed are over age 30.

- Most cervical cancers are caused by HPV (human papillomavirus). At least half of sexually active people will contract HPV at some point in their life. The virus is spread during skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity and many people do not know they have it. But there are several different types of HPV and some strains will go away on their own, said Dr. Pam Carbiener , a Daytona Beach gynecologist and obstetrician.

- The CDC recommends males and females ages 9 through 26 receive the HPV vaccine to protect themselves against the most common strains of HPV. The vaccine works best when preteens receive all three doses before becoming sexually active.

- Getting a pap test is one of the most effective screening tests for cervical cancer. The CDC recommends that women start getting regular pap tests at age 21. Women who have normal pap tests may not need another pap test for three years if directed by their doctor. Women who have abnormal cells or HPV should have annual pap smears. Carbiener said women should visit their gynecologist annually and discuss how often to get a pap smear.

"Women need to be their own advocates in order to prevent cervical cancer," Carbiener said.

— Lacey McLaughlin, Staff Writer

In the months leading up to the race in 2011, the 44-year-old took up weight training and adopted healthier eating habits in addition to long runs.

But it turned out Ryan was not just training to race, but to fight for her life.

In July 2011, one month after completing the 26.2-mile race, she learned that she had a recurrence of cervical cancer.

"During this time I developed an inner strength that is now helping me in the fight of my life," Ryan said about her training. "I believe it is no coincidence that I began this journey fighting cancer while I was in the best shape of my life."

This wasn't the first time cancer paid Ryan a visit. In 2002 she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and in 2004 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. But those cancers did not require chemotherapy treatments. This time the cervical cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.

Her friends were shocked at the news but were inspired by Ryan's determination to beat the disease.

"I couldn't believe that she could be healthy enough to run a marathon at the same time she had cancer," said friend Barbara Underhill.

But Ryan was determined not to let her diagnosis keep her from being positive and strong for her two young sons and husband, Sean.

Ryan's four friends: Underhill, Kim Winters, Kim Martin and Kathy Guyer, became her support system in addition to her family. Underhill accompanied Ryan to several chemotherapy treatments at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Despite the chemotherapy treatments that left Ryan weak and nauseous, she continued to run. When running was too hard, she walked.

"It got harder and harder to recover from each round of chemotherapy," she said. "But I felt better when I was moving. Running forced me to be outside and doing what I loved."

Using the same mental perseverance she learned while training for a marathon, Ryan said she forced her body to keep going even when she didn't want to. Between round five and six of chemotherapy she ran the Walt Disney World half marathon. And between rounds seven and eight, she ran the LIVESTRONG half marathon in Austin, Texas, finishing with a time of 3:02:42 — a personal best.

Between round five and six she also went skydiving with her friends.

In the fall of 2011, Ryan's circle of friends, dubbed the "Livin' the Dream Team," conceived "Me Strong," a 5K race that would not only raise money for cancer research but would inspire others to pursue a healthy lifestyle. The race also raises money for families who are coping with financial obstacles due to a cancer diagnosis.

"We thought about what we could do to help her," Martin said. "We didn't think she needed another casserole. She had motivated so many of us by continuing to run."

Even people who were not runners signed up for the race, which had almost 1,000 participants, in January 2012. This year's event is Saturday.

"It was overwhelming to have so many come out and support me," Ryan said. "They saw me doing it when I had cancer and so they were pushing themselves just to walk or run to get in shape. That was my dream going into this. The miracle wasn't that I finished (the race), it was that I had the courage to start."

The women are planning for an even bigger turn out this year.

Last March after completing eight rounds of chemotherapy, Ryan's doctors told her that they could not find a trace of cancer in her body. Underhill and Ryan celebrated the good news by doing headstands in the hospital's waiting room.

"It took some time for me to realize that it was gone. But when they came in and said 'it's gone,' I felt a sense of victory," Ryan said. "I remember saying 'I beat it, I won.' "

Editor's note: The price of admission was incorrect in a previous version of this story.

<p>DELAND — Linda Ryan's goal was to cross the finish line of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego as she pushed her body to new limits. </p><p>In the months leading up to the race in 2011, the 44-year-old took up weight training and adopted healthier eating habits in addition to long runs. </p><p>But it turned out Ryan was not just training to race, but to fight for her life. </p><p>In July 2011, one month after completing the 26.2-mile race, she learned that she had a recurrence of cervical cancer. </p><p>"During this time I developed an inner strength that is now helping me in the fight of my life," Ryan said about her training. "I believe it is no coincidence that I began this journey fighting cancer while I was in the best shape of my life." </p><p>This wasn't the first time cancer paid Ryan a visit. In 2002 she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and in 2004 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. But those cancers did not require chemotherapy treatments. This time the cervical cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. </p><p>Her friends were shocked at the news but were inspired by Ryan's determination to beat the disease. </p><p>"I couldn't believe that she could be healthy enough to run a marathon at the same time she had cancer," said friend Barbara Underhill. </p><p>But Ryan was determined not to let her diagnosis keep her from being positive and strong for her two young sons and husband, Sean. </p><p>Ryan's four friends: Underhill, Kim Winters, Kim Martin and Kathy Guyer, became her support system in addition to her family. Underhill accompanied Ryan to several chemotherapy treatments at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. </p><p>Despite the chemotherapy treatments that left Ryan weak and nauseous, she continued to run. When running was too hard, she walked. </p><p>"It got harder and harder to recover from each round of chemotherapy," she said. "But I felt better when I was moving. Running forced me to be outside and doing what I loved." </p><p>Using the same mental perseverance she learned while training for a marathon, Ryan said she forced her body to keep going even when she didn't want to. Between round five and six of chemotherapy she ran the Walt Disney World half marathon. And between rounds seven and eight, she ran the LIVESTRONG half marathon in Austin, Texas, finishing with a time of 3:02:42 &mdash; a personal best. </p><p>Between round five and six she also went skydiving with her friends. </p><p>In the fall of 2011, Ryan's circle of friends, dubbed the "Livin' the Dream Team," conceived "Me Strong," a 5K race that would not only raise money for cancer research but would inspire others to pursue a healthy lifestyle. The race also raises money for families who are coping with financial obstacles due to a cancer diagnosis. </p><p>"We thought about what we could do to help her," Martin said. "We didn't think she needed another casserole. She had motivated so many of us by continuing to run." </p><p>Even people who were not runners signed up for the race, which had almost 1,000 participants, in January 2012. This year's event is Saturday. </p><p>"It was overwhelming to have so many come out and support me," Ryan said. "They saw me doing it when I had cancer and so they were pushing themselves just to walk or run to get in shape. That was my dream going into this. The miracle wasn't that I finished (the race), it was that I had the courage to start." </p><p>The women are planning for an even bigger turn out this year. </p><p>Last March after completing eight rounds of chemotherapy, Ryan's doctors told her that they could not find a trace of cancer in her body. Underhill and Ryan celebrated the good news by doing headstands in the hospital's waiting room. </p><p>"It took some time for me to realize that it was gone. But when they came in and said 'it's gone,' I felt a sense of victory," Ryan said. "I remember saying 'I beat it, I won.' "</p><p><i>Editor's note: The price of admission was incorrect in a previous version of this story.</i></p>